


Second Chances

by PaladinGabe



Series: JeanMarco Month [3]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Attempted Police Brutality, Homeless Character, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-14
Updated: 2017-06-14
Packaged: 2018-11-14 04:17:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11200269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaladinGabe/pseuds/PaladinGabe
Summary: Marco has been a bystander for all the happenings around his city block. From his little balcony stoop where he watered his plants, it became a hobby for him. But when he notices a homeless man that looks like he recently had been thrown on the streets get into trouble, it is time to stop watching like nothing is wrong and do something about it.





	Second Chances

**Author's Note:**

> Generator Fic! I kinda lost what the generator actually said, because I accidentally closed out all my tabs when I wasn't looking at my computer. But, the basic gist of it is Homeless!Jean and Gardener!Marco and that Jean was getting into trouble. I'm so bad, I apologize ;;;

_Marco can hear the city happenings_ from his balcony. He watered his flowers while looking at the different traffic jams, food stands, construction workers, and the local homeless people on their stoops. On a particular corner, there was a scruffy blonde that had been hanging around there for a couple weeks. It looked like he was freshly off the streets.

He hated that he was seeing more and more people that had absolutely nothing. He felt like there was nothing he could do other than give them spare change from his pockets and tell them to keep their chins up. And even then, he felt like most of them didn’t even want his sympathy. Not that they have to, that is.

This same scruffy man was walking over to a local food stand. That particular one sold bagels. His curiosity was piqued at this point, considering that the police were not even a block away from him. Did he even notice them? He watered his flowers still, even while he saw that he took one of the bagels from the stand. Everything was muffled, but he could get the basic gist. He was caught by the stand owner, and he had the police chase him down.

Marco put his watering can down as he watched the two officers charge after him down an alleyway right near his apartment building. He couldn’t just stand here and watch anymore! He felt a strong urge to help this man, and he was going to without thinking twice. Remembering to grab his keys, he rushed out to follow.

He was right to try and intervene. Instead of interrogating and taking the man down to their car like other shoplifting scenes, they were going that extra mile. He didn’t even want to think of what the pain would feel like, but he was just grateful that he was able to run to the scene before they could lay a hand on him.

“Wait! STOP!” Marco shouted, making the officers stiffly turn to him.

“There’s nothing to see here,” one muttered callously. “Now stand aside, while we are doing our job.”

“But how can you think of doing such a cruel thing like planning to brutally punish him over a bagel?” he frowned. “You wouldn’t have to do something like this if he can pay for it!”

He felt like the officer clearly didn’t understand what he was implying, and knowing that was starting to aggravate him.

“I will pay for it,” he insisted carefully. He didn’t want to get in any trouble right now, knowing that there was already high tension just from him intervening. “I will pay for the bagel, and then it won’t be a shoplifting crime anymore.”

They moved away from Jean when Marco showed him the cash he had in his wallet. He wanted to throw out any misconceptions.

“Then we will make sure you do that.”

Marco was led over to the food stand, where he eagerly paid for the food and apologized for the disruptions to his business. He knew that there were other homeless people living within this city, and that there was anyone else that he peeked at that he could’ve possibly helped. Why he was suddenly taking the time out of his day to help just one of them, he will never know. He was tired of being a bystander among people that have lost all hope and were willing to do anything to get their lives back together. Maybe, even if he could just help one person in need with just one minute good deed, it would make a world of a difference in their lives in the long run. Or maybe that was just a way to give a reason for being a good Samaritan for this man into words.

The police officers still look displeased, and Marco honestly felt irritated by that. Why couldn’t they just be happy that they were able to solve an easy-to-fix problem without violence? He supposed that this notion was just too much to ask for these two.

When Marco went back to his apartment building, he saw the homeless man sitting on the porch outside the door. He looked confused and apprehensive.

“Why did you do that?” he mumbled.

Marco sighed, thinking about what was going through his head earlier. “I don’t know. I guess I figured I could do something to help someone for once, instead of just watching their suffering like nothing was going wrong in the world.”

He was silent for several moments. “Thank you,” was his only response.

“You’re welcome.” Marco still felt inclined to help get this man in the right direction. “Hey… would you like come in?”

“Oh no,” he frowned. “You’ve already helped me enough. You don’t even know me.”

“I know,” he assured him. “But if it means that I can help you get your life together, I would like to help you in some sort of way. You can come just to take a shower. You can even just grab a bite to eat and a drink of water. I can help you look at jobs, if that is something you want me to help you with. I insist.” As Marco was watching him process this, he reached his hand out. “My name is Marco.”

He looked at his extended hand warily. He had to really look at his face just to see if he was honest. “Are you sure about this?”

“Of course, I am,” he beamed. “But you don’t have to say yes. I realize that you may not trust me. That’s okay.”

The man knew he was taking a big chance with this. He reached out and returned the gesture, shaking his hand. “My name is Jean.”

Marco smiled widely. “Okay, Jean. Come on in.”

What started out as lending out a helping hand turned into a small friendship built on a formation of trust and helping each other with various trials in their lives. For the first few nights, Jean would sleep outside, not feeling comfortable enough being in the new apartment. But when he was ready, he slept right on the couch and would watch the flowers grow outside on the balcony.

It took two months for him to recover and get himself back on his feet with a decently paying job, a roof over his head, and a kindling relationship with the gardener that singlehandedly and undoubtedly saved his life.

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr: tiff-the-little-wanderer.tumblr.com  
> writing blog: flutefluffwrites.tumblr.com  
> twitter: @wandering_tiff


End file.
